Ancelotti went on to stress that La Liga has yet to see the best form of record summer signing Gareth Bale, adding: "Bale has to improve this year.

"Today I spoke to Bale, he feels ok, he's comfortable. Tomorrow he's going to play a good game."

Madrid take on Real Betis this weekend as they look to maintain the pressure on league leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, and Ancelotti suggested adopting a 4-3-3 system would serve his side better in more difficult clashes.

"Every game is tough," he stressed. "4-3-3 gives us a better defensive coverage. We get more control."

Finally, Ancelotti became irritated when another question was posed on former Blancos midfielder Mesut Ozil, after comments attributed to the Italian coach surfaced earlier in the week where he admitted selling the player to Arsenal was a mistake.

When asked over whether or not the remarks were true, Ancelotti simply quipped: "I thought you'd ask me about Ozil".